Northeast MMA News – 10.2.13

When Bellator came to Mohegan Sun on September 7, two former top ranked Heavyweights locked MMAntlers in a much anticipated battle. Both Josh Diekmann and Parker Porter had at one time ruled the Heavyweight division; each had been without a win in some time, and each fighter was looking to jumpstart his career.Just 72 seconds into the first round it was Josh Diekmann putting an end to Porter’s night and earning himself our September Fighter of the Month.

Catching up with Josh Diekmann

Recently signed Bellator Heavyweight Josh “The Freight Train” Diekmann (13-5 with 9KO’s and 4 subs) is fresh off a 72 second TKO victory of Parker Porter(5-3) on September 7th. Early in the first round, Diekmann was backed up against the cage, but he landed a vicious barrage of punches that dropped Porter; as Porter attempted to take Josh down, The Freight Train unloaded with a volley of hammer fists that made referee Dan Margliotta call the contest.

In talking with the former Combat Zone Heavyweight Champion, who has also competed for CES, WEC, and CFX to name a few, it was obvious to me that Josh seemed more than pleased about his new home at Bellator.”Bellator is treating me real good; everything went really smooth. It was a good week and jus a good experience,” he said.
I asked him if he received any word on when he’d be stepping into the cage next and if he heard any rumors about possible opponents, but he has not heard anything yet and expects to be on one of the cards coming up in October/November.

I asked Josh, who just recently turned 37, how he got his start in mixed martial arts and who were his influences; he replied “Nobody; I was the guy sitting at the corner of the bar drinking beer watching it (on TV) saying ‘I could do that’! A couple guys I knew were doing it (fighting), so I just started showing up. Then it was like I had to do it again, gotta do it better. I started pretty late, 26 or 27 years old. I think I had my first fight just a couple months after I started training”.

When asked about his training schedule, Josh, who is a construction worker and currently resides in Groton, CT, talked about the daily grind of getting in his workouts; he travels over an hour each way to get to his two training gyms; Tim Burrill Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Tri -Force MMA. “I wish we could get Shell to sponsor us for all the money we have to pay for gas” he said.

I asked him about his long term goals in the sport, he said “I do this because I like it. I never looked at this a career. It’s not like your a little kid living at home, you got bills to pay and you need a job. Realistically you only get a couple fights a year, and most of that money goes to the people who are helping you with training”.

It’s a shame the Bellator season nine Heavyweight Tournament is starting next week, as Josh definitely looks deserving of a spot in the bracket after his most recent performance. Keep on the lookout for when Josh gets booked for his next fight, and wish him nothing but in the best with Bellator and his future endeavors!